Titanic - The Heart of the Ocean
by Hendy Gk
Summary: Titanic was called the "Ship of Dreams", and it was. It really was. [Elsanna (no-incest), Au! Titanic]
1. Ghost Ship

If there is one thing Kristoff Bjorgman was proud of, it was certainly his work. Not many people could claim to be successful treasure hunters. He was famous in most of the USA and in other countries in the world for searching and discovering valuables of sunken ships. For example, he took the rights for the recovery of some Spanish gold which was also his most famous discovery at the moment.

But he didn't know that shortly after he would have in hand the testimony of a sensational story, that carried the report of an overwhelming and priceless love, occurred no less than in the largest and most luxurious passenger liner of the world: the Titanic. 

* * *

><p>"We should be almost there. It should enter our field of view soon."<p>

That could have been the most important diving in Kristoff's life, maybe in history too.

He had been obsessed by the idea of recovery a particular diamond, that was said to be lost in the depths of the Titanic wreck, for three long years.  
>That diamond was presumably purchased by a wealthy business man called Hans Southern; he was a passenger of the Titanic when it sank, but he was also the former owner of the diamond necklace before he presented it to his former girlfriend, Elsa.<p>

Kristoff and his crew had ventured into the depths in search of the ship with special submarines. They made a lot of expeditions, checking all the place outside of the Titanic in a radius of 50 meters; then they moved to the interior of the ship. Unfortunately not all areas were easily accessible so they had to get particular remote-controlled robots with special cameras for the exploration of the interior. Their contribution was really useful because they permitted to identify the designated area to the private suites of the liner.

The purpose of the diving was going inside the suite where Southern and his girlfriend lodged and recover as more valuables they could.

"Let's get close to the bow." He ordered.

The familiar sight of that colossus was just ahead of him. Tons and tons of steel at the bottom of the ocean, ravaged by the rust, underwater currents and marine microorganisms.

Kristoff, who was looking out the porthole of the submarine in order to give indications on the movements, stepped away and took the camera he carried with him. He was used to record all their expeditions, both as a real evidence of what was happening and as a reminder of the experiences that they were living down there. Many of these videos simply documented general information, while others were real statements of sensational and unexpected discoveries.

Kristoff hoped with all his heart that the video of today belonged in the last category.

"Ok, be quiet everyone, please. We record." He warned.

He pressed the Rec button, pointing the camera at himself and then at the external scenery, talking with theatrical voice.

"Seeing her coming out of the darkness like a ghost ship always makes me a certain effect. It's anguishing to see the wreck of the great ship lying here where she landed at 2.30 in the morning of April 15, 1912 after her relentless sink to the depths."

A crew member next to him laughed loudly, gaining a glare from the blonde guy.

"What a bullshit, boss!" He said, cackling.  
>"Sven, you've ruined the atmosphere!"<p>

Sven Reindeer was, in short, Kristoff's best friend and adventure companion. His short brown hair and dark brown eyes gave him a rather youthful appearance, although lately he was overdoing with canned and junk food, which made him gain a few pounds weight.

The two had met in high school and since then they had never separated. Sven had attended all Kristoff's shipments and loved to tease his best friend. And Kristoff was aware of this. But, after all, Sven was also one of the most capable in his work and right now, he would have been crucial.

He would have himself driven the robot that they would have released in a few minutes to enter the rooms of the Titanic.

Sven was Sven, and to get upset would be useless.

Kristoff began to wander among the various portholes with the camera in his hand, giving some information about coordinates, depth, water pressure and other stuff.

"That's enough, stop with those bullshits. Prepare the robot and put it down where it was last time. It's time to start with the cool stuff."  
>"Do you think today is the big day? " Sven asked<br>"I hope so, mate. We just have to find it out! Come on, go get the commands."

After that Sven took his time to get ready.

Another member of the crew gave the OK for the start and the robot was released. Kristoff was next to Sven, where a screen showed everything that the robot was able to see.

"Now remember, Sven: advance slowly. Keep your eyes open and pay attention."  
>"Yeah, yeah, I'm not a beginner, you know..."<br>"No, no , you are not! You're the best, the better most, I mean, the most better, I mean… wait, what?"  
>"Kristoff, I know you're nervous, relax! Let's do this and then we will open up a bottle of champagne, ok?"<p>

Kristoff, now beet-red, could just approve that idea. He always tended to ramble when he was nervous. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and then he returned to focus on the screen.

"So, you know where you have to go. First of all, go down and beyond the first class areas. We must enter the Deck B."

Sven got started immediately.

His control was amazing.

From the screen they could see a lot of moldy, broken and without any evident value items. A lot of junk occupied floors.

The robot overcame unhinged doors, broken windows, a dining room where there were still remnants of a destroyed piano, came down the stairs and finally, finally after what seemed like an eternity to Kristoff, it passed a corner: they found themselves in front of the entrance of Southern's suite.

"Be careful not to bump, watch it. Watch it... "  
>"I see it. It's everything under control. Just chill, boss."<p>

The entrance was just big enough to let enter the robot, but once inside, the work was done.

Sven wiped the sweat from his forehead and began to scour the area.

The room inside was unrecognizable, its old splendor was just a distant memory. Now it had become only the home of fish and bacteria. Some furniture was still standing, a lot of items, probably the contents of suitcases and luggage, were scattered here and there. An half destroyed bed was located in a corner, as the only visible sign that once it had been a bedroom, while wooden planks covered the floor.

A plank in particular caught Kristoff attention, as it seemed to rest on something.

Kristoff heart started to beat wildly.

They had never gone that far.

And maybe what he was looking for so passionately for years, was right there at his fingertips.

"They could have tidied up a little before leaving the ship." Sven joked.  
>"Get closer to that plank. That one on the right. There's something…"<p>

Sven approached the robot to the point that Kristoff had noticed, stopping at half a meter from it.

"Do you think you've found something?"  
>"I want to see what's underneath. Get it out of the way."<p>

Once the controller was extended to mechanical arms, Sven got to work.

"Take it easy. If it breaks we won't be able to remove it." Kristoff warned him.

But Sven didn't need any help or advice. Shortly afterwards he managed to take the plank out of the way, scaring away two fishes that had hide under it.

As soon as the robot turned to see what there was under the plank, Kristoff held his breath.

In front of them, they saw a square box, apparently made of metal, which was still unopened and in perfect conditions, omitting the amount of rust that covered it.

A strongbox.

Kristoff and Sven couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"How about that, boss!"

All that Kristoff could say was: "Prepare the champagne, mate." 

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hi everyone! This fanfiction is the translation of the Italian FF: "Titanic - Il cuore dell'oceano (TCO)" published on EFP, written by me, Hendy .**

**I had already announced on Tumblr that I had found someone who could translate it to English and, as promised, here it is! The translation was done by my coworker GK.**

**We are both ITALIAN so please, feel free to give us some advices to improve our language and our writing style.**

**Warning:  
>- Updates will be posted once a month on this date (We will base on Italian time). We know that it's a hassle, but the FF has yet to be completed and although we are well advanced with the translation there are still many things that we have to do. We will take it easy, but we won't miss the monthly date.<br>- Early dialogues will be very similar to those of Titanic. Some of the quotes will be exactly the same ones, with little nuances, because there are things that can't be changed in my opinion, for example, the story of the Titanic and the necklace, obviously.  
>- The length of the chapters, as we go on with the story, will range between 2.5003.500 words with a few exceptions. **

**I started publishing it in May of 2014 and the writing style has improved during these months, so I would ask you to be patient in the early chapters.  
>I can assure you that from the third chapter, things will change for the better!<strong>

**Soooo, see you next month, and thanks again.**

**Tumblr contact: bibinohendy**


	2. The Woman In The Picture

Kristoff's happiness was really contagious. The return to the base was one of the most cheerful of all time and it surpassed even the joy of Spanish gold discovery. The entire crew chattered and laughed, already looking forward to the hangover that would follow after the opening of the strongbox.

Once back, Kristoff was greeted as a hero in the bridge. The team that had remained at the base greeted him, giving him pats on the shoulder and yelling things like "Who is the best man of the world?", "We did it!" and "You are awesome , boss!". All of that only served to increase Kristoff joy, in addition to the redness of his face, although he blamed it on the heat of that beautiful spring day and on the sun beating upon them.

As soon as he freed himself from his colleagues, he hurried to observe the recovery of the safe. They used some cables suitable for the recovery that managed to bring it out shortly after their arrival. Its reemergence, after nearly 85 years, was greeted with many applauses and touched the blond guy .

"I may cry. " He said, in a whisper.

Sven, who didn't left his side since the surfacing, looked at the sky. His companion had always been very sensitive. The first time that the name 'Kristopher Bjorgman' emerged in the local newspaper with the eulogies for the discovery of some personal effects of a duke of '700, the young man busted into tears and he calmed down only after drinking a couple of camomile tea and a glass of gin. His happiness hit the roof and he didn't blink at the fact that his name had been misspelled. The article was obviously framed and even today (Sven knew it well ) when Kristoff passed near it, he wiped a fugitive tear.

"Here. Take this." He handed him a tissue. Kristoff blew his nose loudly.

The safe was placed on the deck and immediately surrounded by specialized staff, who began working to open it and to reveal its contents. The sound of their chainsaws hung over the whispering of the present, too much excited to utter more than a few bumpy words.

Kristoff took a deep breath, savoring the smell of salt air and fresh air around him. His heart was beating so fast that he was surprised no one else could hear it. He turned to Sven who had his eyes fixed on the safe, just as anxious as he was, with the bottle of champagne ready in his hand.

When the sound of saws stopped, he turned his head with a pretty strong twitch, ignoring the sudden pain in his neck. The technicians tied a metal hook to the box and began to yank it hard until they finally managed to unhinge it.

The safe was opened .

Without wasting time, Sven uncorked the bottle, greeted by cheers and other excitement screams, while Kristoff approached in a hurry and held his breath again.

From the case began to come out a certain amount of water and dirt. Along with them, there were also what looked like ruined sheets and a smaller box that, in a few seconds, Kristoff identified as a sketchbook.

He bowed and began to rummage through the compartments of the safe, removing dirt, mud and the remains of the other paper sheets. He kept searching intensely with growing anxiety, until he reached the top shelf.

It was empty.

Kristoff couldn't understand . It had to be there, he was absolutely certain!

But what appeared to be a dive that would have changed history, apparently turned out to be just a big failure and a waste of resources.

He swore.

"It isn't here." He managed to say.

Sven went immediately next to him, shocked, looking for it too. But the hopes were gone. With his dirty, wet and smelly hands, he rest kneeling on the ground, stunned.

"No diamond uh?" Said Sven after checking himself.

And trying to ease the tension , he said: "You know, actually it's not our worst dive. Do you remember when we recovered another sealed canister and the only thing we found inside was that crabby crab? I'm still wondering how it had managed to get in. I wanted to keep it as a pet, but you've throw it in the sea. They should make a new Olympic sport, something like "The Shot Crab". I had never seen anything flying so far."  
>"Sven, if you don't want to be thrown yourself into the sea, I would recommend you to shut up."<p>

Frustrated, he got up.

The team brought the contents of the safe inside, while Kristoff allowed himself a cigarette and a black coffee. After all, he wasn't so sure that the diamond was there. It was just the most obvious thing to think. It could be in a thousand of other unexplored places: among the debris of the suite, in the room next door, in some other safe... in the stomach of some fish... no, he had to be positive.

Once he had calmed down, he went back into the cabin and joined the others.

He didn't have time for making a few steps inside the cabin that suddenly something caught his attention. A member of his crew was examining the sketchbook they had just found. One of the drawings he was trying to bring to light showed a woman, apparently naked and hand-drawn with crayons, wearing…

No, it couldn't be true.

"Let me see that!" He said, almost shouting, coming closer.

The man, confused, stepped aside to give Kristoff a better view.

She was wearing a heart-shaped necklace that he would have recognized anywhere, even with his eyes closed.

He began to search in the pockets of the jeans he was wearing, where he retrieved a crumpled sheet; he opened it and looked at it with vigor, revealing the photo of a blue diamond. He compared it with the necklace in front of him, gasping , and...

"Holy Reindeer. It's him."

The unmistakable fifty-six carat diamond he was so desperately trying to recover for three years.

Below in the drawing, there was written a date: '14th April 1912 '.

There were no more doubts.

"It's the **Heart Of The Ocean**."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in California, an elderly lady was sitting on the porch, working with ceramics. The only sounds were produced by the machine she used to work. In the background, there was also a faint chirping that came from outside and the unheard sound of the TV in the living room next door.<p>

A light breeze ruffled her white and smooth hair while the scent of spring pinched her nose. In the piece of furniture near the TV, there was a series of photographs. The first picture looked very old: it was black and white and it portrayed a young woman sitting on a chair. The woman had light hair, probably blond, and she was composed sitting with her back straight and a slight smile on her face. Next there was another one, just as old, of a family. From their clothes it could be deduced that they came from a high-class ambience. Behind them there were another couple of photographs, in color, much more recent, where an elderly woman was next to some people, probably the children and grandchildren. The same old woman sitting on the veranda next there. She was so focused on her work that she didn't hear a young woman approaching her, holding a porcelain cup.

"Granny Elsa, I brought the tea."

Elsa almost startled at the sound of the voice of her niece, a youngster who had inherited the beauty of the light-haired woman of the photo.

"Oh thank you, dear Joan." Elsa thanked.

Joan had platinum blonde hair, blue eyes like ice, identical to those of the grandmother. Her body was so perfect that it seemed to have been carved.

Now that Elsa attention had moved to her niece and the cup of tea, her ears could easily perceive the words audible from television. It broadcasted a special edition of the newscast that apparently was talking about something dealing with treasures.

"The well-known treasure hunter, Kristoff Bjorgman, has decided to reach the most famous shipwreck of all, the Titanic."

As soon as she heard " Titanic ", Elsa almost dropped the cup from which he had just sipped a bit of the hot drink.

She got up quickly, or at least as fast as the age could allowed her, and she approach the TV in the living room, Leaning on her walking stick.

A young blond haired with dirty and brown eyed, to all appearances quite muscular, was talking on the TV.

"Of course, everyone knows the events of the Titanic and his history. The nobility of the orchestra playing until the end and so on. But what I'm interested in are the untold things, the secrets locked deep inside the hull of Titanic."

Elsa move came to the attention of the niece, who approached her.

"What's the matter?"  
>"Turn that up, dear."<br>"I'm surrounded by valuable experts. Take a look at what we found just today: a piece of paper that's been under water for 84 years!"

The TV showed a drawing of a naked woman lying on a couch; she was wearing an heart-shaped necklace. The words continued to flow, but her concentration was all on that picture.

That stretch, that figure, that sketch... How could it survive? Yet there it was. Unmistakable. Her legs began to tremble.

"I'll be damned." She said.

She would have to see it with her own eyes. At all costs.

* * *

><p>In the evening, Kristoff prepared himself for a final quick dive into the abyss depths. There were still a few preparations to be done, but before he could even think to provide the finishing touches, Sven came toward him, calling his name.<p>

"Kristoff! There is a satellite call for you!"  
>"What? But we're about to dive!"<br>"I know this boss, but trust me, you can't lose it."

He puffed upset, but he couldn't do anything else but getting to the deck, where the phone was.

When he took it up, Sven warned him.

"Speak loudly, she's kind of old."

Kristoff snorted again, looking up to the sky and bringing the receiver to his ear.

"I'm Kristoff Bjorgman. How can I help you, Mrs..."  
>"Calvert, Elsa Calvert." Sven came in his aid.<br>" ... Mrs. Calvert?"

From the receiver a hoarse but cocky voice spoke.

"I was just wondering if you've already found the Heart of the Ocean."

At this Kristoff 's eyes widened. He looked at Sven, shocked. Sven replied with a wink and a look that was saying '"I told you that it was important".

"All right, Elsa. You have my attention. Can you tell us who the woman in the picture is?"

What Kristoff heard was so unexpected that it could not even seem a lie.

"Oh yes. The woman in the picture is me."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hi everyone. We are here! Here's the second chapter, as promised. Thank you all for following my story, it makes me so happy! **

**A little news: I'll start publishing periodically also on AO3, with the same regularity. **

**So, see you next month.**

**Tumblr contact: bibinohendy**


	3. Reflections Of The Past

Impatient. This is the word that could best describe Kristoff in that moment: he was pacing the deck and muttering to himself and the few times he stopped walking, he just tapped his foot to the ground. The crewmembers who had crossed him could have claimed that his supply of cigarettes was about to be put to test. Moreover, he needed more attempts to light one because of the trembling and sweating of his hands and this certainly didn't help his anxiety, which was already quite high.

The conversation with Elsa Calvert kept playing in his head. Elsa had clearly named the Heart of the Ocean, and this was a shock itself. But she had also claimed to be the woman of the portrait.

It was a joke.

It had to be.

But he would have to make sure of it.

If it was true, the amount of informations that he could obtain would have been incalculable and quite valuable for the discovery of the diamond. The lady then had expressed a desire to see the portrait. Obviously if he wanted to test her honesty, he would have to come face to face, so why couldn't he seize the opportunity and invite her on board? Kristoff had kindly offered to arrange their meeting in a few days, providing a private helicopter for her arrival to the ship.

And today was the day, and this could explain Kristoff agitation.

In the previous days the dives had continued: they had managed to retrieve some belongings inside the suite of Southern including a chipped mirror, an old music box, a comb and some hair clips. All of them were very old, pretty damaged (with the possible exception of the hair clips) and useless.

No trace of the diamond.

Since the day of the call, everything had changed and Kristoff's attention had been completely taken. Today would have been the most important day. Unless it would have turned out to be a joke.

Kristoff was facing another cigarette when Sven reached him.

"Are you enjoying the sea air, boss?"

Kristoff grunted in response.

"You're being very mature today. Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"Stop it. Did you come here to make fun of me or do you have any news for me?"

"Actually I found something."

This seemed to upset Kristoff. The blond guy had instructed his partner to seek information about Elsa Calvert in order to have an overall picture of whom they would have met. The research had kept Sven in front of a computer screen for hours. But apparently it was worth it. Neither of them wanted to waste time with an impostor.

"Well…" Sven began "As we had already discovered thanks to the informations about Hans Southern, there was a woman named Elsa Arendelle aboard the Titanic that should have been passed away at the age of seventeen, when it sank, right?"

"Yup." Kristoff nodded.

"If she had lived, she'd be over an hundred years old by now!"

"One hundred and one, actually..."

"Do you want to hear what I have to say, or what?" Sven said, irritated; he didn't want to be interrupted.

Kristoff raised his hands in surrender.

"Sorry, sorry, carry on."

"In the boarding records there is no other woman named 'Elsa'. This brings us to a couple of assumptions. The first is that Elsa Arendelle and Elsa Calvert are the same person. The second is that Elsa Calvert had managed to infiltrate into the ship without a ticket, but with the security level of the boarding, it's pretty absurd, and how she became aware of the necklace is still unknown... Third option, she's just a damned liar looking for money or free publicity, or whatever. An exact copy of the end of that Russian woman's story, Anesthesia.

"Well none of us want another Anastasia, I guess. Were you able to go back to the past of Calvert?"

"Apparently, when she was young, around twenty years old, she was an actress. She played a few minor roles in some production in America but at the time her name was 'Elsa Dawson'. Later she met this Calvert guy, they got married, they moved to California, where they had a couple of children, and now _puff_, here they are. I couldn't find anything else."

"What I don't understand," Kristoff began to say "is how did she know of the who knows about the diamond is supposed to be dead."

"And who are we? The zombies next door?" Sven joked.

But Kristoff didn't heard him. Now he was immersed in another wave of thoughts. Who was this Elsa Calvert for real? Was she actually the woman of the portrait? And what about the Heart of the Ocean?

His brooding was however stopped almost immediately by the sound of a helicopter in the distance. He ran onto the ship's rail and leaned out as much as possible to see.

Someone shouted, "They're inbound." And then he recognized the emblem of their base. They were actually coming.

He briskly walked to the area used for landing, ready to welcome them, with Sven next to him. As he got close, the noise became deafening. Although he was used to it, he always find it irritating.

As the helicopter came down, the wind became stronger and Kristoff had to stop brushing his hair and he let them flutter. Sven, for his part, was quite at ease.

When the helicopter reached the ground, its door opened and they were greeted by the most bizarre visions: suitcases. A multitude. Some men were carrying them, but a few of those suitcases were so large that they hid them and they give the impression that the baggage had sprouted legs and walked toward them all alone.

After that more than a dozen bags had been downloaded, the men set down the passengers: the first to get off of it was an elderly woman with a cane and straight, shiny white hair, blue eyes and a body that appeared to be very fragile. She was wearing a blue sweater and pants in black tint. On her shoulders there was a white handmade shawl.

Sven could not resist and whispered to Kristoff: "Well, she actually looks soooo old. This is a point in her favour, isn't it?"

Kristoff didn't answer. His attention was paid to the second passenger who got out. A woman with platinum blonde hair, pulled back in a chignon, who was helping the old lady by taking her by her arm. Their eyes were the same color and she was wearing a bottle-green shirt combined with a pair of skinny jeans that enhanced her perfect shape.

Sven had to shake his hand in front of Kristoff's eyes to awake him from his daydream. Kristoff blinked a few times and closed his mouth that he hadn't realized he had opened, and then he walked over to the two ladies, who were coming to meet him, focusing his gaze to the younger one.

He held out his hand and spoke.

"I-I- I'm Kristopher Bjorgman... I mean Kristoff, Kristoff Bjorgman, not Kristopher... would... would you like to date me?"

Sven punched him in the arm. But the damage had already been done and Kristoff skin was now back in his usual red-pepper tone. On the other hand the girl blushed slightly and put his hand to his mouth to cover his laughter.

"Adorable." Kristoff thought.

Sven intervened to his aid.

"I'm sorry for my friend, he hasn't slept much last night. My name is Sven Reindeer, and as he tried to say before, he's Kristoff Bjorgman, and we will be your companions for the moment. Welcome to our ship. It 'a pleasure to meet you. "And he held out his hand.

The white-haired woman held out her hand in turn and introduced herself.

"I'm Elsa Calvert, it's a pleasure to meet you too. And she…"she said, pointing to the other girl "... is my niece, Joan. She was kind enough to accompany me, she's taking care of me in these days."

"Nice to meet you" Joan said, smiling excitedly to the two.

"I think it's time to show you your accommodation. Am I right, Kristoff?"

Kristoff, who was lost again in his dreams, woke up slightly at the sound of his name.

"The accommodations. Sure. This way, ladies."

Then they accompanied them. When they arrived at their destination, their cabin had already been occupied by their suitcases.

"I hope you enjoy it." Kristoff said in an attempt to overcome the previous bad impression.

"Don't worry. We will get used. " Elsa said

"Well, we'll come back to check again later." Sven added.

The two companions were ready to leave when Joan said with a smile "See you later and thanks Kristopher", winking after pronouncing his name.

Then the cabin door closed.

Kristoff had never been so happy to be called by the wrong name, and the only thing he managed to say was just an unheard:

"It's Kristoff."

* * *

><p>"Is there something I should know between you and the blond guy?"<p>

"What? Granny! "

Elsa laughed at seeing her niece blushing like that and she put her hand in front of her mouth, in a perfect imitation of how the girl had laughed previously. Joan had always been a very good company, though she was sorry that she had to spend time with an old woman like her. Of course, this made her very happy but she also regretted it a bit.

The two ladies were setting up their things. Carrying around as many things as they could was an old habit of their family: it made them feel at home. The cabin was quite comfortable after all. The scent of the sea passed through the small cracks on the porthole and they could hear the waves crashing against the ship.

Sure, it wasn't California with its immaculate landscapes, but they had to admit that it was pretty.

Elsa had never thought she would have set foot on a ship again, no matter it was a research vessel or a luxury ocean liner, and in addition, she didn't think she'd have been back in those waters.

Those waters.

They brought a lot of memories with them. Just the thought that under them there was the Titanic was enough to make her shiver. The trip on the Titanic had changed her, she could not deny it. It seemed an eternity since she was boarding, puffing and criticizing everything that was on the way, hating her life so hard. But now she could see the beauty in everything and appreciate every single moment. And this was just because of...

A loud knock on took her back from her thoughts. Joan answered with a soft 'Yes?' and she opened the door, revealing their companions, Kristoff and…Len? Sen? Something like that.

"Is everything alright?" Sven asked.

Elsa leaned the last frame in her hand and she turned to face them and responded.

"Yes, sure. Thanks Len."

He saw Kristoff grin a moment, without understanding the reason, before start talking in a serious way.

"Can I get you anything? Is there anything you'd like?"

For this Elsa already had an answer. She was here for that, after all, she hadn't certainly flown from California to have a picnic on the deck of a ship. He cleared her throat.

"Yes. I would like to see my drawing, please."

The two men accompanied them in the room of the portrait. The journey was not long and Elsa couldn't help but being grateful. An hundred years weren't few and the weight of an old age was becoming pretty hard to endure.

When they entered, they got closer to a glass case. Inside it there was a sheet of paper.

On it there was a drawing of a woman and Elsa could already feel his legs become weak at the sight.

The woman had been portrayed with a black crayon on white paper, yellowed probably by time spent in the water. Her hair was loose and it was leaning on her bare shoulders. The neck was adorned with a diamond necklace and the lower part of the body was hidden by a veil that left the legs and feet discovered. A hand was resting in his hair while the other arm was laying on the pillow.

In the bottom right someone had placed a date and a letter. It was an unmistakable 'A', a bit 'faded, with the left corner slightly curled and the right corner that curled to form a sort of slot which replaced the original dash.

The signature of the author.

"_Her signature_." Elsa thought.

Here it is, in front of her eyes, the proof tha _She_ had existed, she really did, that her warm hand had once moved on that paper, drawing with crayons those lines, those shadows, that portrait.

Closing her eyes she would have vowed to see her again.

_Her_.

With her blue-sea eyes, strawberry blonde hair, a freckled face.

Being in front of that drawing again was a miracle.

Lost in her thoughts didn't realize that Kristoff had started talking and she began to listen.

"Louis XVI wore a fabulous stone that was called the Blue Diamond of the Crown. It disappeared in 1792 after the death of Louis. According to some sources, the diamond crown had been recut into a heart-like shape that became known as the 'Heart of the Ocean'. Today it would have an extremely high value."

Kristoff showed her the pictures of the diamond but she knew what he was talking about.

"It was very heavy." Elsa said. "I only wore it once time, for this portrait."

"You actually think this is you, Granma?"

Elsa seemed offended.

"Of course! Even if I'm one hundred and two I don't invent things. And look, don't I look like her a little? I always told your father that you were my exact copy, two drops of water!"

This statement, Elsa noticed, impressed so much the audience that they began to compare the drawing with Joan, causing a slight redness in the cheeks of the girl.

Kristoff then returned to talk about the necklace.

"I tracked it down through insurance records. A family had bought the diamond in absolute secrecy and when it sank with the ship, they had claimed it. Do you have any idea who the claimant was, Mrs. Elsa?"

"I guess someone named Southern." she replied without a moment of hesitation.

"Exactly!" Kristoff almost screamed.

He was on cloud nine.

"The necklace was given to Hans Southern who bought it for his girlfriend. You."

"If it is true that you're that woman ..." Sven added in a whisper, "... this means that the necklace ..."

Joan, who had lost the thread of the conversation, interrupted them.

"What does this all mean?"

"This means ..." Kristoff said, with a twinkle in his eyes "... that if Elsa Calvert and Elsa Arendelle are the same person, your grandmother was wearing that necklace the day the Titanic sank, and this is shown by the portrait. Do you see the date on the bottom? April 14, 1912."

He took a big breath and then he said, in a booming voice.

"So, Elsa, you should know where the diamond ended up. This makes you my new best friend! " Kristoff concluded.

Sven, hearing this, seemed slightly irritated.

"I thought I was your best friend!"

Meanwhile, Elsa was lost again in her thoughts. Kristoff's last sentence, along with the color of his eyes (which Elsa realized to be brown) triggered a memory.

She remembered the author of the portrait, and she thought she heard her melodic voice saying:

"_Your eyes are not brown. They are chocolate brown! There's a difference! And this does make you my best friend!_".

She had almost forgotten this memory and she immediately felt nostalgic. A small tear rolled unnoticed on her cheek but it was wiped away immediately.

Kristoff and Sven then directed their glances to a nearby table where there were some items. Kristoff was saying something but he wasn't listening to her, he was probably too immersed in the description of the recovery of these objects. A rectangular box aroused her interest. It was carved in white wood, slightly musty at its sides, and, on the surface, there was engraved a flower, a crocus for accuracy, the official crest of the Arendelle's.

Another memory began to take shape in her mind: someone took her side and approached her, in a corner a music box was playing a sweet melody that filled the room, her nose was greeted by the sweet scent of flowers. They were swinging, one close to the other…

"So? Are you ready to tell us your story and to go back to Titanic? "

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by Kristoff – again. She was not sure if she should blame the blond guy to block the most interesting moments of her memories in that way or if she had to blame herself for daydreaming. In any case, she smiled at him and firmly stated:

"Yes, I'm ready. "


End file.
